These days networking is also very important this includes socializing and politicizing without networking a manager cannot be sucessfull. Because he/she should have the ability to make things done ASAP and if he doesnt have a good social circle then it will be difficult for him to do the things and complete the required tasks .

And, Yes communication skills are very important for a manager infact these days communication is the key to success. But i have read somewhere that there are two types of managers effective and successfull. An effective manager spent majority of the time in communication and a sucessfull manager spends majority of the time in networking .

@Anandy: I don't think so mate since to persuade someone you do need skills as well as the courage too. Also you should be creative enough to make someone like what you feel is likeable. That is quite a task.

@ Greg M. Jung, I agree that persuasion is very valuable tool but that is part of communication skills. Persuasion is done most of the times using refined communication skills and sometimes by leading by example in case of persuading internal employees. No matter what tool is used for persuasion, it is nonetheless a necessary skill to have.

Communication skills are at the heart of any managerial position without any doubt. However, you have touched a different but very pertinent point here in communication skills. Cross-cultural communication demands more skills. Managers must have the sense and skills to communicate with someone who is from different culture and speaks different language. Manager will have to come down to his level of language to make him properly understand what is to be communicated.

Nancy, it certainly is a good list, and as I compared it with a few MBA curriculums it is clear that the MBA types have a lot more emphasis on accounting. So perhaps some of those degree managers should read this blog as well.

One thing that I learned long ago is to always ask the production and technical support people about what they think. Not to always do what they suggest, but certainly pay close attention for good ideas. And ALWAYS thank any who provide a useful answer.

The other thing is to always consider the secondary results of any actions. That is a cheap way to avoid huge amounts of grief and pain.

Great list of skills and I agree - each one has a definite impact on a company or department being successful. As manager of test engineering for a major semiconductor company - I would add flexiblity, the ability to understand the individual capabilities of your employees and assign tasks accordingly and a sense of humor. Knowing when to take a stand and when to compromise is also important. Giving employees a chance to stretch and giving credit where it is due (in the way the employee appreciates most) go a long way in helping keep up the morale of a department and extended productivity when working against stressful deadlines.

Good point about persuasion, Greg. One of my best managers from the past always found ways to make me feel that his idea was mine, and I regularly bought it. Even when I knew it was happening, it didn't feel offended by it.

Yes bobjengr I totally agree with you a good manager should communicate with the employees on daily basis and his attitude should not be firm that people feel fear while coordinating with him. He should coordinate with employee not only official matters but someimes must give a personal touch as well. It is the technique of a good manager to arrange timely outings for the department so that employees can enjoy the work they do .

A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. quietly announced that it was rolling out a new wrinkle to the powerful safety feature called stability control, adding even more lifesaving potential to a technology that has already been very successful.

It won't be too much longer and hardware design, as we used to know it, will be remembered alongside the slide rule and the Karnaugh map. You will need to move beyond those familiar bits and bytes into the new world of software centric design.

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